Artemision Bronze

[jisbell00]

Artemision Bronze


Amid the jumbled torsos on their plinths,
the busts, the marbled contours, the blank eyes,
I stumble on this deity at last –

intent, abstracted, with the look of one
who walks amid the day’s vicissitudes
untouched and easy, as a god well might.

The figure is at ease, though caught in motion –
the right heel raised, the left leg forward, the
two arms raised, as one throws a javelin.

The mouth is closed and does not smile. The eyes
see not a thing; the beard and hair are curled.
The figure is quite naked. At the groin,

the privates hang limp. And the belly’s taut
as the throw comes. The biceps on the right
is tensed and shorter than the left – stretched out

in a salute where the eyes look. The limbs
and torso follow the eyes' plane, except
for the right foot, turned in a dancer's pose

at right angles to it. They say that this
would be Zeus or Poseidon. It is not
a young man's body, but its perfect form

reveals the god. There's not the slightest trace
of doubt in this creation, and the bronze –
nude though it is – has more of ease than any

museum crowd could ever hope to touch.

 

http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=6133

[Macavity]

Enjoyed John. It is an absorbing piece and your poem reflects the impactful physicality of the figure.

best

Phil

[jisbell00]

Thank you Phil! The Greeks were good at bodies, I think.

Cheers,
John